


Frozen Heart

by authorwithoutaquill



Series: Timepetalsprompts drabbles [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, F/M, Gen, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 01:43:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5356244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authorwithoutaquill/pseuds/authorwithoutaquill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose finds herself unable to accept the Doctor's departure. She tries to numb the pain by exposing herself to the elements and chasing old demons away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frozen Heart

**Author's Note:**

> For timepetalsprompts weekly drabble theme: Ice. This is a sequel to Can't Do It.

The playground was covered in ice. All of it. The slide, the swing, the pavement - everything was frozen, sleeping peacefully under a layer of frost. Rose felt frozen too. She had been sitting on the park bench too long, she knew; couldn’t feel her legs anymore. She wouldn’t get up though. The cold numbed the pain, and she didn’t move a finger as the wind blew hail in her face. She couldn’t feel anything. She didn’t want to feel anything.

“Rose? Rose!”

Mum. It was mum and Mickey, she thought. Looking for me.

She turned her head. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t find her here, wouldn’t think to look. She never came here, not since she broke up with Jimmy. Bad memories swirled around the frozen grass and she inhaled sharply as the ghosts surrounded her.

The past. It was all in the past now. It couldn’t hurt her.

Only it could. Not Jimmy, not the pictures of their first night together, the ghosts of non-too-gentle touches, no. It wouldn’t hurt because she knew better by now. She learnt. She knew how to stand up and face the monsters. She wasn’t afraid.

But she was cold, and sad and lonely - or used to be, before the cold set in. She just felt… numb now.

When they stepped out of the TARDIS she was too shocked, too scared, too guilt-ridden to say anything. She just stared at the Doctor’s back, marching after him and his black leather jacket. She wanted to reach out and grab it like a lost child, but was too afraid to move. When they headed for her flat she felt sick. This was it, he was going to leave her and she couldn’t even say a word to convince him otherwise.

He didn’t say goodbye. He opened the door for her, walked her up the stairs, stopped in front of her apartment and shoved his hands in his pocket. He looked up once, met her eyes for a brief moment: they were vulnerable and guilty and apologetic, and then cold and strange and distant. He turned on his heels and he left.

Rose stood in front of the door, staring after him, not believing what had just happened. She’d still be standing there if her mom wouldn’t have needed to take out the garbage. She hugged her, ushered her inside, sat her down in front of the telly, called Mickey, called her friends, called everyone. It wasn’t until Rose’s first quiet sob that she realized something was wrong.

Mickey came later, but neither of them could comfort her, nor get her to talk about what happened. She was a ghost - she felt like one. She wandered around the house for a week before deciding she needed some fresh air. It wasn’t a conscious decision, really. She saw the snow falling through the window and before she could even think about what she was doing, her coat was in her hands, and her feet were taking her down the stairs.

And now here she was. Out in the cold, still not able to think, still not numb enough to not feel the pain. Maybe it would go away with time. She smiled sadly. With time… The Doctor went away with time. Leaving her here.

Her head whipped around as she heard a familiar wheezing sound. Little shooting pains stabbed her neck and shoulders from the sudden movement, but she didn’t care. She jumped up and was running like her life depended on it, running to catch the source of the sound. As she turned the corner she grinned to herself - her life did depend on it. But it was alright now. The Doctor was coming back. He was coming back for her.


End file.
